Austrian Audio Composer & Full Score One Review

[@ResolveReviews]

One thing to add - the cup angle can be changed by pulling up on the red dot on the cup ring and rotating the cup. This makes sense because depending on the head it could fit differently, so having this option allows for more ergonomic flexibility.

[@bananawarlock3981]

An absolutely fantastic feature to have, truly. At the higher price points, I feel it would be fair to expect it, regardless of brand.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

Part of the reason they added this feature is that they wanted to keep the cups relatively small. However, if your head is of a different shape (compared to an average one) or your ears are tilted slightly backward you need to be able to adjust the cups to match that for a perfect fit. The ear cups on the HD800 are massive and so were the ones of the AKG K7XX series... and almost any type of ear would fit inside them. No need for them to be tiltable. But the Austrian Audio designers have now taken a different approach in their post-AKG existence. Things are now tighter and fit more neatly. I prefer this approach.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

The Composer headphone was designed by the same guy that designed the AKG K7XX series. But they are very different kind of beasts.

[@Ca11mero]

Really like that you added arrows to point out what you are talking about. Hope you continue with that!

[@blackberuang]

WE WANT THE SENNHEISER HD 490 PRO REVIEW!!!

[@Gridpipe]

Fresh reviews did a gaming focused one which i appreciated

[@LSDScreen]

Meh.

[@Ryan_3gRi]

it’s fine. it’s like hd560s and hd600’s baby, nothing worth hype.

[@maegnificant]

Listen to the Neumann-NDH-30. Same headphone.

[@ChrisStoneinator]

@@maegnificantlol what the fuck are you talking about?

[@liammadridista2395]

The thumbnail looks like resolve was left unsupervised with a case of 24 hour energy shots 😂

[@Farpun]

I like the arrows explaining parts of the frequency response

[@beemo808]

Oh joy, just what we need, ANOTHER headphone connector.

[@MattBorchert]

I do want to give a shout out to how beautiful the industrial design is on these headphones. I often wear headphones during Zoom meetings at work, and some higher end headphones will have co-workers asking, "why are there two giant speakers strapped to your head?" These are slim and look extremely professional. If they were HD800s kicked up to an even higher level of performance I'd probably buy a pair. Alas, seems like that's not the case. At least not at this price.

[@shonen84]

Austrian Audio is the old AKG Austria. I feel this Composer is the headphone they wanted to make back in the day before they were cut loose and forced to release the unfinished K812. In that regard, they’ve come full circle. Time doesn’t stand still though, and Meze and Focal provide stiff (European) competition.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

That is true. The Composer is what the K812 could have been if things had been different. They have a lot more freedom now under the current owner Martin Seidl. They are now longer under the regiment of a large coproratio that mainly looks at balance sheets and prfist and does not actually about the quality of the products. Ahem Harman... not referring to anyone in particular 😏 haha

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

Bring on the Meze and the Focal...

[@ChrisStoneinator]

Meze? Stiff competition? They're woefully uncompetitive in this bracket.

[@beenthere6769]

@@saschamilenkovic4320stop spreading this disinformation. 812 is a complete headphone. I own one and very happy with it

[@fishinthejar]

Absolutely stellar research Golden! Love the format of more people jumping into a singular review, especially the chat section.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

Look forward to seeing Golden's review.

[@alextryan]

Dude I could listen to you talk about anything and it would make my day better. Thanks for being a gold star vibe among often-not-that on youtube.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

Resolve here - it's nice to hear that. Usually my voice has the opposite effect hahah

[@supabayes3284]

Subscribed! Thanks for the excellent review. Has helped me to decide my purchase. The composer really shines when paired with the Full score. The combination reminds of electrostatic, in fact Sennheiser He1 lol. I have other amp like Luxman P750U, Manley 300B, Chord Dave for comparison I think that the Full Score is the best companion for the Composer as I cycle through them. TTT switch is great to have to turn it off TTT for some poor recordings. I don't agree with the uncooked pasta analogy. Chord MScaler gives the option to turn off upscaling to enable the consumer to decide even though many will select the highest upsampling rate. Austrian Audio have presented a great combination at a very reasonable price compared to brand like Hifiman. I don't have the 800s but Composer vs HD820 and He1000, I prefer the Composer everytime. It just sound more real, detail. 820 is not close at all. Sharing an owner's perspective after the amp and hp to compare with gears that I have.

[@jkhmonkey_kfp_pentium_ii_cpu]

The smiling Andrew in the thumbnail was unexpected to say the least lol

[@hemispherecompensation]

Sweet. Hoping for E3 and Diana MR reviews

[@hemispherecompensation]

@@HiLoMusic Yes, I was hoping to get Resolve's perspective as I enjoy his reviews… besides, only DMS has heard the E3

[@christiantan5341]

I second the MR review

[@cancerparty]

SPOILER: The MR is extraordinary. If you don't own a TC or a V2, this sits comfortably in between them. If you own TC, I'd leave it. If you own V2, well worth upgrading.

[@christiantan5341]

@@cancerparty But I want comparisons to other things... ...but I guess that's helpful mind you

[@WolfDieterHaselsteiner]

Alcantara pads will come in the near future

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

Good review. The lateral imaging and great separation is a typical Austrian Audio standout feature and it's great to see that it is highlighted here. I have the Hi-X60 and it has this very feature in abundance. Better lateral positioning and imaging than a Hifiman Jade or a Stax L-300, and those are electrostats... I do also agree about the price and that it's very high. I have been talking to Kurt at Austrian Audio for a couple of years now and I kept nagging him about a high-end headphone. My idea was one in the price region of an HD800 or Focal Clear. When this finally came out, something I had been waiting for, my jaw dropped a bit when seeing the price. Somewhat hoping for the price to go down to Sennheiser HD800s level and then I'd get one in a heartbeat. Also interesting what you saw about it sounding a bit more natural than the Planars. That has also always been my impression and is a reason I don't use them anymore.

[@tdg176]

@Resolve Listening to music I can only focus on the sense of physicality/punch and slam and that is all that I care about. Do I need help?

[@xdoctorblindx]

He chooses the music he listens to based on how good it sounds on his gear; I think we all know who needs help.

[@adamadnan3784]

If you have Mojo2, you must try to get a hold of these headphones to have a listen. Very pretty, romantic sound. Strong bass and sub-bass, with high dynamics, cymbal hits, and guitar plucks all come alive. Very intimate sounding, not a super large soundstage. These elements, together, create something very special.

[@sebanambrus9265]

The HD800 remains the top choice for resolution and detail-it's a timeless classic. Introduced in 2009, this headphone can be acquired for around 500 euros in the used market. Don't be misled; avoid overspending. Opt for used items, as higher prices don't necessarily equate to better sound quality. Present-day prices are soaring without a proportional increase in premium features.

[@Skeith89]

High definition driver baby !!!

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

It's a bit harsh and sibilant.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

My Stax L300 was better

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

Cleaner driver...

[@Skeith89]

@@saschamilenkovic4320 your stax sounds ethereal and lacks dynamics. Stax compress dynamic range to minimize distortion. 🤣

[@thelastrhino2581]

BTW - regarding the intro, good job not mentioning the war! :)

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

I was going to go with the Habsburgs but that's maybe a bit obscure for people haha.

[@thelastrhino2581]

Outstanding review.

[@sjqideez6626]

Thanks for this lads, much appreciated

[@yamato1420]

I'm happy that Resolve tried to bring in his experience on the subjective side, and described one or two specific points about the headphone.

[@masterxyr]

oh come one, say TTT a few more times :D I love your reviews and all that knowledge that backs'em up! always a pleasure

[@tomasz5274]

@ResolveReviews Many thanks for another great content. Can you please tell where can we find all the Full Score Amp measurements mentioned in timestamp 12:19? There seem to be no link to it in the description. Many thanks!

[@christiantan5341]

I'm still really disoriented when I read 5128 measurements since I've seen so many Gras ones 😅 I second @hemispherecompensation - MR Review would be great! Curious to see an HD490 Pro review as well...

[@eruilluvitar]

This one was really interesting to listen to at CanJam, but nearly impossible to get a handle on with how loud it is there

[@blejzerosamigos6115]

Thank you for your videos

[@artysanmobile]

The 2k dip is a real problem for production use. The last thing any music engineer wants is to add the infamous 2.5kHz ugly frequency. I wouldn’t use these based on that.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

They are not made for 'production use'. These are for audiophiles and for listening to the end product.

[@En_Joshi-Godrez]

​@saschamilenkovic4320 they said they made them for product use when asked at socal.

[@artysanmobile]

@@saschamilenkovic4320 Thanks.

[@artysanmobile]

@@En_Joshi-Godrez What do you mean by “product use”?

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

@enjoshi-godrez8775 They already have models for that, for mastering, mixing and recording. And they are primarily designed for that (and don't have as much of a 2k dip). Their studio workhorses. The Composer is their first headphone that is meant to also appeal to audiophiles (they call them 'connoisseurs' on their website as 'audiophile' can be perceived a bit negatively these days). Of course they won't say there and then: oh no you can't use them for production work. But speak to them about their product range and what their headphones are tuned for and designed for specifically and they will tell you in detail.

[@HiFiInsider]

the amp surprised me. The sound is incredible for its price. I am using the amp with Woo Audio PHANTOM DAC cable for a simple one-box setup.

[@artysanmobile]

The special connector doesn’t bug me one bit. Pro Sennheisers also use a special connector and it’s never an issue.

[@joshswanedits]

In your email marketing its says " The Sennheiser HD800s upgrade you've been looking for"

[@garymalone547]

Looks awesome. Black on black is my aesthetic.

[@rudib4995]

Like your reviews ... thanks a lot ... but this time I can not fully follow your verdict on the Full Score One - o.k. its name might already polarize, but the result you receive from the invested around 1.500 bucks is in my ears simply outstanding. I use it together with a Chord Qutest set to 1 Vrms output voltage, filter orange, combined with a D8000 PRO LE = heavenly composure :-) - I love the result so much, I just can't stop listening - TTT turned off all the time btw.

[@lebeda1570]

such a cool cable connection design. I wish hd 6xx had this

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

How would you say it compares to a Focal Utopia? Or a Dan Clark Expanse?

[@ResolveReviews]

I prefer it over the Expanse (and to be fair I prefer most headphones over that one), but I like the Utopia better, but they're very different. From the DCA stuff I'm particularly interested in the E3 and the Corina though, so maybe those are for future comparisons.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

@@ResolveReviews Yes, that would definitely be interesting.

[@maximgodunov7717]

Hey, can you recommend some headphones if all I care about is natural timbre, decay and good soundstage depth? My Sennheiser hd800 seems to struggle in this department. It has less ss depth compared to my sony ier m9, 64audio u12t and softears twilight

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

@maximgodunov7717 Have you tried any of the Beyerdynamic Ts? I have the Xelento and it has wonderful depth and great timbre. It beat my Stax electrostats in that regard so I suspect the big over- ears are also great, try 2 generation T1 or T5 as they are supposed to still have more of the original Beyerdynamic character. If you are super sensitive to treble might need to look elsewhere though.

[@maximgodunov7717]

It's been a long time since I listened to dt770 but didn't feel like they had much of it. Haven't heard t series. Interesting to know about stax because I never tried it, but heard some people saying sound comes from inside your head out of nowhere

[@horatio4uru208]

What headphone stand is on Cameron's desk?

[@alextryan]

I would also love to know

[@BluesMan90]

HI! I'm considering whether to buy the Composer or the Meze Empyrean 2, the build quality of the Empyrean seems much better, from a sound point of view which do you prefer, and which would you recommend?

[@jonathanphillips5514]

Hi, thanks for all the reviews. I am new to this but learning quickly.....I think. Have you guys reviewed any Dali Headphones? For some reasons I keep getting DALI IO-12's appearing on my feed and have no idea how they compare. Any help would be really appreciated.

[@BluesMan90]

Hi, could you ask me a question? Is the headband made of leather or synthetic leather?

[@MaxNakfoor]

You guys should review the Sennheiser HD 490 Pro

[@Lazan-j9o]

Sennheiser HD 490 Pro review from Resolve would be dream

[@kadenzzola8119]

Thanks for the review! I really want to buy the Composer if they are willing to change the connector to a standard one that would be great.

[@boiledsalamander]

one thing you forgot to mention is that they made designs and the diagrams for the connectors open source. so pretty much anyone with the right tools can make these connectors themselves.

[@charleskingReal]

Prioprietary connector for the cable? Bzzt, Fail. Respect for the dynamic IM measurements on the amp - very interesting.

[@CosmicLF]

the design is so sick

[@Jordonater]

I understand its there flagship headphone but i think its stupid they went from a £350 headphone (Hi-X65) to one that cost over £2000. Its better but not by that much price increase.

[@megatherium100]

You forgot about that famous(or infamous) disgruntle austrian painter on your opening mr. resolve

[@SheepDude-qp7ux]

Resolve looks like he's tweaking in the thumbnail-

[@Ande313]

I was really disappointed by the composer they are just nothing special kind of boring. there are plenty of better headphones in the wild and for 2700 dollar it’s way to much for only good sound. there needs something special to justify this high price.

[@En_Joshi-Godrez]

Completely agree. Unfortunately, audiophiles love expensive things regardless of their performance. They will justify it either way as they did for mezes older headphones

[@Prxyshj]

This is true for other expensive headphones to. Hifiman? Bright. ZMF? Mostly about aesthetics. Etc. The more time I spend in this hobby the more I see how hard it is to trust the community of people involved.

[@varva001]

What if i could get a pair for 1.4k. Would it be worth it over any other headphone in that price range?

[@Mishael_Agyei-Boamah]

Yes

[@SileDevil]

funny that he began the vid with Austria presentation, US people probably think is Australia lol

[@calvinyip364]

Please review the ea500LM

[@srg-yo]

You forgot Arnold in the intro 😛

[@pinepibble]

Those pads don’t look like they’re gonna last all that well

[@hobbylosermensch5920]

oida geil

[@rajeebdas1724]

You're reviewing a 2700$ headphone and you say "there's no creaking or rattling" as a compliment?😂😂😂 Come on dude! There shouldn't be creaking or rattling even in 100$ headphones!

[@ResolveReviews]

And yet... the industry is what it is, where this regularly occurs

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

​@ResolveReviews Yes, and the Audeze LCD1 is a prime example. Plasticky creaky little thing that it is (at $400)

[@Omar_ZX]

Austria, known for akg... And that's it for me lol (Well every austrian audio headphone is built very good so the composer's are quite similar in build quality to their previous cans)

[@gavinxq1224]

I thought he's gonna say painter for real lol.

[@kato2395]

I own their previous can (Hi-X65) and it broke under a year. The plastic part of the headband is a design flaw. It has a weak point on the place where it meets the metal and thare is where it cracked. Pretty disappointed that it broke that quickly, I was expecting it to last for a long time. The pleather is also a problem because it can't stand my oily face and start peeling before a year of using them. Though for context I have a beeg head and bald head. I also wear it for at least 8 hours a day on a tropical weather. Another complain from me would be the expensive leather pad replacement. I can't also get it from third party because the pad is proprietary. I want to support companies like Austrian Audio that makes some of their stuff in house instead of outsourcing to China but at the same time I can't help but be very disappointed.

[@Omar_ZX]

@@kato2395 huh that's odd, well ig they aint for everyone and also have qc issues, the one I borrow from my friend all the time he bought when it was released and it has barely shown it's age

[@rogerhuston8287]

I'm one of those who dislikes the custom cable design. I don't li,e companies that force you to use their accessories only.

[@ora6925]

It‘s a standard mini banana plug. The design of the connector is open source.

[@rogerhuston8287]

@@ora6925 Thanks, but still, it is the only headphone that uses that connector so any custom will be a one-off. Still sucks and is enough reason for me to pass.

[@Prism_JTN]

I wouldn't buy it based solely on the connector.

[@soulfulfool]

price on those is insane, they dont even look premium nor sound is top notch

[@aRc11-11]

$2700? It should make leprechauns fly out your arse. Peaks are not acceptable.

[@vonBaronX]

No word about fake skin earpads? My biggest complain about Composer.

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

True, I prefer real skin earpads

[@sephondranzer]

I love the looks the full score one is going for, especially cause the XLR output at the front of amps is just not sleek to my eyes. Performance wise it’s hard to justify over the Topping A90D, for example.

[@DJURBANBG]

The purpose of Composer is not to impress, but to show the music what it is - in the most realistic and honest way possible. This headphone is more for the audio engineers, than the hi-fi listeners.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

It's for people who prefer it authentic, whether they are professionals or just music lovers. Austrian Audio headphones don't sugar coat or colour the music.

[@DJURBANBG]

@@saschamilenkovic4320 yeah, basically what i said

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

@DJURBANBG not quite, you said it's 'more for the audio engineers than the hi-fi listeners'. I said it's for both.

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

@DJURBANBG We both like it, and so will audio professionals and audiophiles alike.

[@Tacet137]

Uh huh, and can you explain why would that be the case?

[@DaBigBoo_]

Now make a version for £400 and you have the perfect headphone

[@veritas7010]

Ndh30 pls

[@ChrisStoneinator]

If they thought it was worth talking about, they'd talk about it. Maybe - shock horror - it's not a particularly enjoyable or noteworthy headphone?

[@gurratell7326]

Wow is that amplifier a joke? Must be! That enormous thing for something that tiny amplifiers for a fraction of the price can do, and they do it without needing that weird TTT button.

[@AliArghavan]

Yeah they got really greedy with this one. 2700$ is way too much for a headphone from a not so reputable and established company. You could probably get two better headphones at this price point.

[@h-dawg6462]

meh, this just looks an over-engineered and over-priced open-back k371 ! to pay all that money to then have to eq the damn thing is ridiculous. i do like the size of the cups, but the stock price and sound of the akg k371 wins!!

[@saschamilenkovic4320]

It has nothing in common with the K371. How do you know the 371 wins? According to whom? You? Have you compared the two? Do you have sample tracks with precise descriptions and time stamps for the passages you use to back up your view?

[@ChrisStoneinator]

k371 owners coping at every opportunity, in discussions about completely unrelated headphones, will never not be funny. Never heard the things but they can't be that good because all their owners keep pausing their music to type KZbin comments

[@h-dawg6462]

@@saschamilenkovic4320 have you?

[@h-dawg6462]

@@ChrisStoneinator unrelated? i just said they look similar, also austrian audio were once part of the akg team, so pretty relative!

[@h-dawg6462]

@@saschamilenkovic4320 what i meant by 'wins' is the FACT that the 371's are very linear in FR already, and yes i have looked at graphs in comparison......i know, you think i need to buy them for a fair comparison, but for over two thou....you're dreaming!!!

[@xdoctorblindx]

Judging people for liking bass and saying the phrase "serious audiophile music" in the same breath? God, you really make me want to pick a different hobby.

[@ResolveReviews]

You realize that's a joke, right?

[@ilpreterosso]

好怪的高频，听pop高音人声我觉得会很刺

[@ilpreterosso]

买这么贵感觉是个scam，没任何性价比

[@hmst5420]

These look cool. But the price..